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Contributors

Alexander Rose
Alf Watt
Bob Glushko
Brewster Kahle
Clif Cox
Craig Newmark
Dan Beldy
David M. Coggeshall
Harvie Branscomb
Henry Dakin
Jeff Tannenbaum
Jim Buckmaster
Lawrence Lessig
Lew Tucker
Mark Pincus
Matt Peterson
Mitch Kapor
Pam Samuelson
Ralf Muehlen
Rebecca Johnson
Roger Gregory
Ron Hipschman
Tim Pozar

Top Level Contributors

SFLan -- Community Wireless

What is Internet Archive Community Wireless?

• 1 Gigabit/sec citywide network
• Accessible to everyone for free
• Symmetric network to encourage new services
• Fiber backbone, wireless last mile, wired/wireless in-building
• Public fiber, non-profit backbone, private in-building connectivity

How? Divide the problem properly among three players: City + Backbone Non Profit + last 100 feet

• For backbone City provides:
1. High locations
2. Fiber from those locations to central switch point
• Internet Archive, a non-profit, provides:
1. Internet connectivity at central switching point
2. Wireless equipment and support at high locations
• Other non-profits provide:
1. Training and support to low-income people
• Landlords, Internet service providers, schools provide:
1. Rooftop wireless recievers to connect to backbone
2. Wireless and wired access to their building

Status as of April 2008:

• 1 location fibered by City of San Francisco
• Internet Archive gave it 100Mb/sec connection
• one-economy.com and mission housing development on training/support
• Next: Wireless equipment on roof

high resolution version

Version 2 of our community wireless project (SFlan) was built on custom linux boxes by Clif Cox and Ralf Muehlen in 2003. This was a rooftop network that peaked at 50 nodes in San Francisco. These were on top of individual's homes and most of the funding came from those individuals. This worked, but was not very reliable. The lesson learned from this is get high locations, with solid networks to them, and easy physical access. These features are now becoming available through cooperation with the City of San Francisco for version 3.

Version 1 of our community wireless project (SFlan) was started in 1997 using Aironet gear (before 802.11, WiFi, or their being acquired by Cisco) to make a wireless network around the Presidio of San Francisco. This network was modeled on Harvey Branscomb's wireless system in Aspen Colorado, funded by Sun Labs. We found the technology worked, more or less, but access to high locations that had good connectivity were needed. The governing entity of the National Park in the Presidio of San Francisco did not help in any way, and this was death nell. In fact they made us take down our antennas from a radio tower because of an exclusive deal they had made with a phone company.